I Want Woyome – Amidu

Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin A.B.K Amidu, has filed an application at the Supreme Court, praying it to allow him to examine National Democratic Congress (NDC) bankroller, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, in the controversial GH¢51.2 million judgment debt paid to him.

“…I have this morning, 4^th November, 2016 filed an application at the Supreme Court for leave to examine the Judgment Debtor as the citizen public interest Plaintiff  in favour of whom the case was decided for the Republic of Ghana,” Mr. Amidu declared in a statement issued in Accra yesterday.

Mr. Amidu's action follows a move by the Attorney General to discontinue an oral examination of Mr. Woyome, despite serving an earlier notice.

The notice of discontinuance stated in part, “Please take notice that the 1st Defendant Judgment Creditor [Attorney General] herein has this day [26th day of October, 2016] discontinued the present application to orally examine the 3rd Defendant Judgment Debtor [Alfred Agesi Woyome] with liberty to reapply.”

The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back GH¢51 million fraudulently taken from the state, after Mr Martin Amidu had challenged the legality of the payment in court.

He also accused government of being reluctant in enforcing the Supreme Court's judgment ordering it to retrieve the amount from Mr. Woyome.

“I have examined the circumstances surrounding the government's reluctance to enforce the judgment and orders of the court with the seriousness which the matter deserves. I share the view expressed by objective and reasonable members of the public that because the government was the 1^st Defendant/Respondent against whom the Supreme Court made declarations of unconstitutional conduct in paying the judgment debt to Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the government has been pretending for purely political reasons at each turn to take steps to enforce the judgment and orders of the court only to deliberately abort them.

“I agree that the government's objective has always been to create the appearance and impression in the minds of the unsuspecting public that it is complying with the enforcement orders. The Attorney General's latest application to discontinue the government's application to examine its financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, is one more such tricks to deceive the public and obstruct the course of justice,” he added.

 
Presidential Intervention
Mr Amidu also alleged that the Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, withdrew her application to examine Woyome because President Mahama personally gave an order.

He said the AG backtracked in order to protect some National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials, who benefited from the GH¢51 million fraudulent payout.

“In my application I filed today [November 4, 2016], I made use of information provided to me that '….when the Judgment Debtor was served with the order of the court, he went to inform the NDC of which he is a member and financier; and the incumbent government, in particular the Attorney General and the President, personally that should the order applied for by the government for his examination be not discontinued, he will have no option at his appearance at the court than to disclose truthfully and faithfully to the court on oath the names of all NDC and government beneficiaries of the judgment debt, which was paid to him as a result of the unconstitutional conduct of the Attorney General declared in the decision of this Court.'

“I have also stated the information available to me and my belief that the NDC and the government realizing the power of this court pursuant to its order granted for the examination of the 3rd Defendant/Respondent/Judgment Debtor to order the judgment debtor or officer to produce any books or documents in the possession of the judgment debtor relevant to these questions at the time and place appointed for the examination took to panic resulting in the President instructing the Attorney General upon her own advice to him, to discontinue the application for examination of the judgment debtor which the court had already ordered,” Mr. Amidu averred.

The allegation comes on the back of claims by pressure group, OccupyGhana, that the AG gave up on the case in order to protect Woyome's accomplices, who belong to the governing NDC.